hall_of_horrorfandomcom-20200214-history
Grandfather Sawyer
Grandfather Sawyer appears in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and its sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, portrayed by John Dugan and Ken Evert, respectively, and appears in more of the franchise than any other character besides Leatherface. He is a supercentenarian, former butcher/slaughterman and implied mass murderer. Director Tobe Hooper stated on the audio commentary for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 that Grandpa is kept alive by drinking the blood of his family's victims. Snippets of Grandfather's history prior to the events of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films occur throughout the series; it is revealed that Grandfather was originally a worker at a slaughterhouse whose skills at killing and butchering cattle were unmatched. After new technology was implemented in abattoirs, Grandfather quit his job due to "the shame" (not being able to cope with the noises the machines are making). Grandfather later apparently settled down with the unnamed Grandma and began a family, the cannibalistic Sawyers (how they became cannibalistic is never revealed, though it is implied that they resorted to cannibalism in order to survive starvation, because the family was already poor when Grandpa and the rest of his family quit working). In The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the 124-year-old Grandfather (John Dugan) appears as a somewhat minor character, initially thought to be already dead; he is first seen briefly during Leatherface's chase scene, Sally approaches him seeking help but assumes he is dead when she sees how old he is. Later after heroine Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) is captured by his grandchildren, Drayton (Jim Siedow), Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and the Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal), Grandfather is taken from the second floor of the house and brought to her by them. Leatherface proceeds to slash Sally's finger and forces it into Grandpa's mouth, so he can suck her blood (proving that he is, in fact, alive), an event that causes Sally to fall unconscious. Some time after Sally is awakened, Drayton, Leatherface and the Hitchhiker decide to allow Grandpa to end her life through the use of a hammer; due to his advanced age, Grandpa is largely incapable of using the hammer efficiently and continues to drop it. The hassle that ensues with Grandfather's continued dropping of the hammer and his grandchildren's over-eagerness to help him allows Sally to break free of the Sawyer family and jump out a window, though he and Drayton do not attempt to follow her. Grandpa (Ken Evert), now 137 years old, later appears in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, inhabiting an abandoned theme park named the "Texas Battle Land" with what remains of his family; when the film's heroine, Vanita "Stretch" Brock (Caroline Williams), is captured by his grandson Chop Top (Bill Moseley), Grandpa is brought forth to kill her (in the same way he tried to do to Sally) with help from Chop Top, unlike in the first film here he actually lands a hit though he succeeds in only causing a minor head wound to her with a sledgehammer (and a second wound caused by an impatient Drayton). When Lieutenant William "Lefty" Hardesty Enright (Dennis Hopper), the film's male protagonist, engages in a chainsaw duel with Leatherface (Bill Johnson), Grandfather attempts to aid his grandson by throwing a hammer at his opponent, only to hit Leatherface instead and subsequently fall to the floor (which alludes the first film's climax). Grandfather apparently meets his demise when a grenade, accidentally set off by an injured Drayton (Jim Siedow), Lefty and Leatherface, detonates in close proximity to him. In Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, which has connections to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Grandfather appears only as a decayed corpse kept and treated as if he were alive by Leatherface (R. A. Mihailoff) and his new extended family who regularly pour blood into his mouth to "feed" him; when one of the film's protagonists, Benny (Ken Foree), opens fire on the Sawyer house with an automatic rifle, Grandfather's body takes several shots to the chest and one to the face, but the body is left for the most part intact. On the special documentary on Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, director Jeff Burr mentions that Grandpa is "on his way out" meaning that the corpse of Grandfather still might have some life in him. Also in this film, the character of Mama mentions that she castrated both herself and "Papa", referring to Grandfather, implying an incestuous relationship between the two. In the 1994 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, a minor character very similar to Grandpa, referred to as "Grandfather" (Grayson Victor Schirmacher), appears as a member of the Sawyer family. The character might, in fact, be Grandpa, as the film possibly takes place in its own continuity. In Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Grandpa was also credited as "Grandfather". John Dugan reprised his role in Texas Chainsaw 3D, in which Grandfather is shown sitting inside the Sawyer house with his relatives as they are confronted by Sheriff Hooper. He is present when the residents of Newt burn down the Sawyer house and kill the family members inside. Category:Texas Chainsaw Massacre Characters